UMMS Affiliation
Department of Psychiatry; Systems and Psychosocial Advances Research Center
Publication Date
11-1-2016
Document Type
Article
Disciplines
Child Psychology | Criminology | Juvenile Law | Mental and Social Health | Pediatrics | Psychiatry | Psychiatry and Psychology
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between a history of childhood abuse and mental health problems in juveniles who sexually offended (JSOs) over and above general offending behavior.
METHODS: A sample of 44 JSOs incarcerated in two juvenile detention centers in the Netherlands between May 2008 and March 2014 were examined for childhood abuse history (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form) and mental health problems (Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument-Version 2). Furthermore, the connection between childhood abuse and mental health problems in JSOs was compared to a sample of 44 propensity score matched juveniles who offended non-sexually (non-JSOs).
RESULTS: In JSOs, sexual abuse was related to anger problems, suicidal ideation, and thought disturbance. These associations were significantly stronger in JSOs than in non-JSOs.
CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the relationship between childhood abuse and both internalizing and externalizing mental health problems is of more salience for understanding sexual offending than non-sexual offending, and should, therefore, be an important focus in the assessment and treatment of JSOs.
Keywords
Childhood sexual abuse, MAYSI-2, Mental health problems, Sexual offending juveniles
Rights and Permissions
© The Author(s).
DOI of Published Version
10.1186/s13034-016-0127-2
Source
Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2016 Nov 1;10:45. eCollection 2016. Link to article on publisher's site
Journal/Book/Conference Title
Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health
Related Resources
PubMed ID
27822305
Repository Citation
Boonmann, Cyril; Grisso, Thomas; Guy, Laura S.; Colins, Olivier F.; Mulder, Eva A.; Vahl, P.; Jansen, Lucres M. C.; Doreleijers, Theo A. H; and Vermeiren, Robert R. J. M., "Childhood traumatic experiences and mental health problems in sexually offending and non-sexually offending juveniles" (2016). Psychiatry Publications and Presentations. 780.
https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/psych_pp/780
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Included in
Child Psychology Commons, Criminology Commons, Juvenile Law Commons, Mental and Social Health Commons, Pediatrics Commons, Psychiatry Commons, Psychiatry and Psychology Commons
